1. Lung cancer prevalence on the rise (Nov. 2014)
Prevalence depends on incidence and survival.
Lung cancer prevalence is increasing due to increasing incidence, improved survival, and population aging and growth.
Lung cancer is a common cancer with high fatality, resulting in relatively low prevalence.
Ontario’s lung cancer prevalence, or the number of people with a previous lung cancer diagnosis who are still alive, is increasing and shows slightly different patterns for men and women. The 10-year prevalence of lung cancer cases in men increased from 1991 to 1998, remained stable from 1998 to 2004, and has shown modest increases since The 10-year lung cancer prevalence in women, however, has consistently increased since Lung cancer is one of the top four cancers diagnosed in both sexes.
Prevalence is impacted by the number of new people diagnosed (incidence), the number of people who survive the disease, and population aging and growth. Therefore, this steadily increasing trend in women is expected due to a combination of the rising number of new lung cancer cases and improved survival. Survival for lung cancer in both sexes has improved significantly, rising from 17% in 1996–2000 to 19% in 2006– Almost 16,000 Ontarians alive on January 1, 2010 had been diagnosed with lung cancer in the previous 10 years.
Lung cancer incidence in men is more complex, with trends differing over time by age group. The incidence counts in men for all ages combined have only modestly increased since 1997, which is likely the result of population aging and growth, improvements in survival for lung cancer in general, and a reduction in prevalence of certain risk factors, such as smoking and occupational exposures (e.g., asbestos and radon). Although smoking rates have declined in both sexes, this decline began earlier in males than females contributing to the more modest increase in both incidence and prevalence for males from 1991–2009. Despite these trends, the prevalence for lung cancer is relatively low because lung cancer is highly fatal.
Estimates of prevalence for a 10-year period represent a mixture of individuals at different stages of the cancer experience, from the newly diagnosed through to the long-term survivors. Healthcare needs vary across this 10-year period and include active treatment, follow-up and treatment for recurrences, and end-of-life or palliative care. Prevalence is one of many indicators of the burden of cancer for individuals, families and health services.
References
Cancer Quality Council of Ontario: Cancer System Quality Index (CSQI) 2014 [Internet]. Cancer in Ontario [cited 2014 November 18]. Available from:
Citation: Cancer Care Ontario. Cancer Fact: Lung cancer prevalence on the rise. November 2014.
Available at
Prepared by staff in Prevention and Cancer Control.